October 8 Today in OPC History

On this date in 2000, the Reverend Robert Edgar Nicholas went to be with the Lord in glory at the age of eigthy-eight. After graduating from Wheaton College in 1935 and Westminster Theological Seminary in 1938, Mr. Nicholas married Elsie Schauffele in 1940, and they had three daughters, Elaine, Eloise, and Bethann. Mr. Nicholas served as pastor of Westminster OPC, Bend, Oregon from 1944-1953 before becoming a home missionary for the Presbytery of California laboring in Whittier, California. In 1958, he was appointed editor of the Presbyterian Guardian, a position that he held for twelve years. In the first part of the decade of the 1970s, he did promotional work for Westminster Seminary and Phil-Mont Christian Academy. After retiring to Glendale, California, Mr. Nicholas and his wife moved to the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Home in 1992.

In remembrance of Mr. Nicholas's work for the church, New Horizons magazine reported: During his fifty years of active ministry, Mr. Nicholas served on over sixty committees and agencies, and directed twenty-five family and youth camps. He was instrumental in founding two Christian schools and served on the steering committee and board of Westminster Theological Seminary in California. Known for his wisdom and wit, Bob Nicholas was a kind friend to many . . . He loved Jesus Christ and served the church with humility and grace .